Making a difference

Women’s self-defence by Master Wallace

The women’s self defence program Mission is simple - empowering you to fight back against crime / rape. How? By providing you training and education in: 1 Awareness 2 Prevention 3 Risk reduction 4 Risk avoidance; and 5 Self-realization of your own physical power

The paradox of self-defence is that the more prepared you are, the less likely you are to need it. When you can recognize and respond effectively to potentially dangerous situations, you are more confident in your everyday activities. You are also less likely to become a target of crime.

Crime statistics state that:

Every day, four women are killed by their abusive partners 25% of girls and 17% of boys will be sexually assaulted by the time they are 18 years old 14% of all women abused or raped acknowledge having been violently abused by a husband or boyfriend From 1992 to 1993 29% of all violence against women by a lone offender was by an Intimate 75% of domestic killings occur after the victim has left the perpetrator 28% of all Killings of women are domestic violence related 95% of reported domestic assaults the female is the victim and the male is the perpetrator 75% of every rape is committed by a man that the victim knows25% of rapes take place in a public area or a parking garage These shocking facts show that violent crimes can affect anyone at anytime, regardless of where they live or work. These crimes include assault, domestic violence, robbery, car jacking, rape and murder.

The criminal's primary strategy is to use the advantage of surprise. Criminals mainly choose targets which appear to be unaware of their surroundings. So, please be prepared before something happens...

How you will learn

By Engaging the Mind we help you identify and recognize early warning signals, criminal processes and how criminals operate; By Educating the Body we teach you hands-on effective, easy to learn techniques that maximize damage while not relying on strength; and By Empowering the Spirit we build your survival mind-set to ensure your own personal safety.

You can prepare against different threats by practicing how to quickly reach the objects and how to use those effectively and safely…

Some tips on women’s safety outside:

Unfortunately during a confrontation situation your imagination will not usually be fast enough to invent weapons out of these objects, so planned objects should be carried. Always practice how to quickly and effectively use them.

The first idea to prevent confrontation is to avoid the places and situations where these can occur. Here are a few very simple examples:

Be Aware. Awareness is one of the most important things in Self-Defence. By being aware of your surroundings, many threats on the streets can be avoided.

If you see or sense problems on your way, change route or go to the other side of the road and prepare to run or defend yourself.

Never wear conspicuous jewellery when you are walking in the streets.

Never catch a lift with a stranger, use buses or taxis

Never act or look like an easy target

Most “fights” are won before they start, and aggressors will back down if you maintain eye contact and are not intimidated by them.

*Using your environment*…

In survival confrontations everything at hand should be used including things that are around you, on or with you. Wherever you are everything has the potential to be a weapon. A life threatening situation is a matter of survival and the person being attacked should aim to win by using anything that comes to hand.

There is only one rule if you are attacked. You must survive. You have to do everything you can: Scream, scratch, bite (if there are no other possibilities), hit or kick, attack with a common object, do all that is needed to end the threat or to have enough time to escape.

*Objects you can use…*

Everything that surrounds you. Indoors for example: ashtrays, chairs, bottles, kitchen utensils etc. can all be used as weapons. Outdoors for example, one can use sand, stones, coins etc. to throw. Bricks and wood can be used to strike with. An opponent can be thrown against sharp pointed gates, railings and walls etc.

*Objects you strike opponents with…*

Also stones, knives, pencils, iron sticks, crochet or knitting needles, etc. You can attack also by using your mobile phone like a stone.

*Sprays:*

Any aerosols can hair spray, spray paint, pepper, tear gas etc.

*Objects on you…*

Due to the awareness of violence, people take it upon themselves to carry illegal self-defence weapons. These weapons are usually quite obvious and even though they may successfully ward off attacks, they can bring a lot of legal difficulties for the user. Many very effective, perfectly legal weapons which still reduce the same results, may be carried instead.

At any one time people unconsciously carry many potential weapons. For example, belts may be used as a garrotte or a whip with the buckle, coins may be thrown into the face of an opponent to stun and blind him, clothes may be used to whip, ward off attacks, choke and obscure vision etc.

Most women carry handbags which can also be used to strike or strangle. In addition, these handbags contain an arsenal of potential, legal weapons e.g. a lipstick case to poke into the eyes, a hair brush to scratch across the eyes, perfume to spray into the eyes etc.

People are often unaware of the potential legal weapons they are carrying. Unfortunately during a confrontation situation your imagination will not usually be fast enough to invent weapons out of these objects, so planned objects should be carried.

Always practice how to quickly and effectively use them. When choosing or planning how to use common objects, consider the following:

All the different angles it may be held into a strike.

All the different surfaces that can be used.

All the different targets that it could strike.

*Always practice*…

…how to quickly and effectively use them. When you are in danger, do not hesitate to use them! Attack quickly, and if possible, vulnerable pints by using a lot of power.

You might have only one possibility to defend yourself, do not lose it.